South Yorkshire Times, August 18th 1933
Remarkable Cricket At Mexboro’
Some Busy B’s
Mexborough 97 for 2 Rockingham 96
It was a day of remarkable cricket at Hampden Road. To some up a few of its more notable features:
Bramley, the youngest member of the Rockingham side, scored 52 of his team’s 96.
Wrightson (Rockingham) snicked a ball from Williams which flew off the wicket-keeper’s gloves, struck first slip on the knee and was caught by third man.
Atkinson (Rockingham) left his crease thinking he had been bowled, but was brought back because the ball had re-bounded from the wicket-keeper’s pads to break the wicket; but before he regained his crease a Mexboro’ player pulled up a stump and the batsman was given “run out.”
Burkinshaw (Mexboro’) (picture) having made the winning hit, stood back to allow an offside ball to go through but it “came back” and bowled him. As the match had been decided however, the scorers recorded him as “not out.”
Mexboro’ having summarily dismissed Rockingham for 96, finished the job in little over an hour, winning by eight wickets. In this decisive victory a leading part was played by the newcomer, Arthur Blythe, a member of the West Riding Constabulary stationed at Mexboro’ who was put on second change and in his third, fourth, fifth and six overs got the wickets. of Gill, Booth, Earnshaw, Bramley and Fenton. He bowled only six overs in all and his figures were five for 21. With a man on the deep he would have saved at least eight of those runs and had an almost sensational return. He bowls an accurately pitched medium paced ball that seems to gather pace from the pitch, and also to turn a little. He completed the collapse which Bob White had started.
At the outset of the match, we were recalling White’s feat of three seasons ago when he took all ten wickets in an innings against Rockingham. He had Ivill and Woolley back in the pavilion inside three overs – though Jimmy Ivill was out to one of the worst “pokes” probably of his career. Wrightson alone got into double figures, apart from Bramley who at the age of 18 had to “carry the team on his shoulders.” Due allowance must be made, of course, for the extraordinary dismissal of Wrightson, though that player had had a slice of two of luck before he got out: and for the unfortunate incident in which Atkinson was the victim.
Bromley stands out among the young players the season has brought to the front as one of the most promising. He is beautifully free and quick in action, and is batting with more confidence than when we saw him earlier in the season—born, no doubt, of his brilliant 97 against Harrogate on Tuesday of last week. Ile times those glances to fine leg particularly well, but also drives sweetly through the covers and wide of mid-off. He is, in fact, developing an all-round range of scoring strokes, thanks to a keen sense of the ‘ use of his feet, and has an exceptionally good defence for so young a player. Ile gave no chance on Saturday, batting an hour and a halt against keen bowling and a field on its toes, and remaining unperturbed while wickets fell with sickening regularity at the other end. He gave the impression that he might easily have carried his bat through. But he went for the runs as soon as he reached the half-century, which was the policy the situation railed for and was caught off a skier. The “old firm” of Gill and Fenton made early breaches in the Mexboro’ batting strength, but Burkinshaw rapidly dispelled any expectation o, further excitements. He batted with the utmost confidence and treated the bowling cavalierly. His second scoring shot was a six, and he raced to the half century in just under the hour. When the winning hit was made, he had hit 3 sixes and 5 fours in his 61. Bowman took upon himself the job of holding the other end fast till the prospect looked safe, then himself helped the score along with one or two nice shots. It was all over by six o’clock.
Incidentally, Mexboro’ fielded better in this game than in any other in which I have watched them, and the example was set by a youngster from the Secondary School, Greaves, who did particularly good work at point. Neither side missed much in the field. Tibbles had a good day, for he took two other smart one-handed catches, in addition to his part in the co-operative dismissal of Wrightson. Bramley took a remarkable catch to dismiss Brown, flinging himself forward to hold the ball within an inch or two of the ground.
SCORES
ROCKINGHAM
J Ivill c Tibbles b White 2
B Bramley c Greenwood c Blythe 52
S Woolley b White 5
F L Wrightson c Tibbles b Williams 11
J Atkinson run out 7
T Gill c Tibbles b Blythe 7
J Booth lbw b Blythe 0
Earnshaw b Blythe 2
H F Fenton b Blythe 5
L Wroe b Bowman 0
L Jessop not out 0
Extras 5
Total 96
MEXBORO’
R Burkinshaw not out 61
E Tibbles c Bramley b Gill 4
D Brown c Bramley b Fenton 7
D Bowman not out 18
Extras 7
Total (for 2 wickets) 97